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Friday, November 29, 2013

As 83 Tower was renovated recently in October, there appear many attractions within and without the tower that include restaurants and other facilities. The luminarie festival called 'Milky Way Road' is now ongoing at the street corners surrounding the tower.

Would you look at the pictures of this spectacle light festival?

What's better is that you can join the festival with no charge!! Why don't you invite those whom you love to the Festival that will lit up the long winter nights this weekend? :-)

As the holidays are coming, people are busy buying things for those who they love.

Though there's no big year-end bargain events like boxing day sale in Korea, but we still can find the ways to do savings. Colorfuldaegu lets you know some recommendable shopping spots in Daegu along with the bargain information!

Dongseongno is Daegu’s famed pedestrian street running through the center of downtown. Expect to see droves of young Koreans seeking the latest trends and styles from local and international brands. The area has also become a magnet for major department stores, as well as smaller ones offering great deals, such as Gallery Zone and XN Milano. Getting here is easy, as it is accessible from both of Daegu’s downtown subway stations, Banwoldang and Jungangno, as well as all taxi drivers in any corner of the city will know the most expedient way to get there.

‣In Korea, the word, 'sale' is generally used to imply discounts rather than selling products. When you pass a shop in Dongseongno reading "sale", don't miss it. Ask the staff using Korean, 세일해요?(Salehaeyo?; Are you on a bargain sale?)

[Department Stores]

Unlike Western shopping culture, Daegu doesn’t have shopping malls. But what they have instead, are towering department stores, featuring all kinds of brands straight out of the fashion catwalks of Paris and New York. Major department stores in Daegu include:

Hyundai Department Store, is the newest department store to the shopping scene and is a hotspot for shopping enthusiasts. It’s located by Exit 18 of Banwoldang Station.

‣Bargain Sale

-Offers 10~50% off for the 2013 best items

-Period: Nov 22, 2013 - Dec 8. 2013

Lotte Department Store has 3 locations, including their main one at Daegu Station, Lotte Young Plaza by Jungangno Station, and another large one on the city’s west side by Sangin Station. Recently, Lotte has opened up Lotte Shopping Plaza in the east side, at Yulha Station, featuring Lotte Outlet and the only Toys R’ Us in the city.

‣Bargain Sale

-Period: Nov 22, 2013 - Dec 8. 2013

-Offers 30~50% off for high-end brands and winter wardrobes

Daegu Department Store has been a mainstay in the city for years and still attracts a strong following to its two locations, at Debec on Dongseongno, and Debec Plaza, 10 minutessouth of Kyungpook National University Hospital Station.

Daegu also has various outdoor shopping outlets that allow shoppers to stroll in pleasant weather.

Lotte Mall is a large shopping complex near the Daegu airport, at Esiapolis. The fabulous and convenient layout of the complex is akin to a Western-mall experience.

Moda Outlet is a outlet complex offering great deals on last year’s fashion. Located south of Keimyung University, it is best reached by taking a taxi from Exit 3 of Keimyung University Station.

Queen’s Road is a picturesque outlet district tucked away 5-10 minutes north of Gamsam Station.

NC Outlet is a sprawling indoor outlet located conveniently near EXCO and Costco, northeast of downtown

The Block is a quaint outlet shopping experience, if you find yourself on the far-east side of the city, near Gyeongsan. It’s located just minutes east of Exit 4 of Gaksan Station.

[Traditional Markets]

For any visitor to Daegu, a walk through one of Daegu’s vibrant street markets is an experience not to be forgotten. There’re sights, sounds and smells of their own. Great bargains, memorable souvenirs, traditional food are also in the place. They have something for everyone.

Seomun Market is Daegu’s largest and oldest market, which has over 4000 shops in the indoor and outdoor sections, ranging from vendors selling agricultural and farm goods, fish and seafood, to home appliances. It’s located east of downtown and just minutes north of Exit 1 of Seomun Market Station.

Chilseong Market is another old market, located just northwest of Daegu’s downtown core. Offering fresh produce and second hand appliances, this market is also famous for having some amazing old-school restaurants tucked away in the back streets.

Bangchon Market is a feast for the eyes, particularly if you visit the night market on Saturdays, which has become an innovative convergence of art exhibits and tradition market shopping. It’s located minutes east of Exit 3 of Kyungpook National UniversityStation.

[Mega-Marts]

Although Daegu doesn’t have Wal-marts, they do have the same concept, in the form of Mega-Marts.

The most notable ones in Daegu are E-Mart (이마트) and Home Plus (홈플러스). Regardless of where you are in Daegu, you’ll most surely be within taxi range of one of these major shopping complexes.

Additionally, Costco is located not far from EXCO, as well as Daegu Airport, and you’ll be happy to know that many of your shopping favorites that you can expect to find in Western Costcos, can also be found here.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

You can find a taxi almost anywhere in Daegu. They are the most
convenient way to travel around Daegu. Step off a sidewalk and a taxi is bound
to show up. But there are slight differences between each one, the following
will give a basic description of each, as well as some helpful hints.

Corporate Taxis

These are the most common taxis and can be
found at taxi stops. Empty taxis will have a red light on the roof of the cab,
and because the light on the blue or purple cap of the taxi's roof also turns
on, it can be easily spotted even at night.

Personal Taxis

Unlike general corporate taxis, these are
personally owned taxis and can be found at taxi stops. They are differentiated
by green caps on the taxi's roof.

Deluxe Taxi

Deluxe Taxies, called "mobeom"
taxies in Korean, are black with usually a yellow sign on the top and the words
"Deluxe Taxi" written on the side. They claim to offer a higher
standard of service than the general taxies – however, other than being better
upholstered, most expats see little difference between the ‘black’ taxies and
the ‘grey’ ones. You can see them in places like Daegu Station and Dong Daegu
Station.

The basic fare is
3,800 WON

Call Taxi

When a customer calls for a taxi in areas
where public transportation cannot be easily accessed, the taxi will usually
arrive within 10 minutes. There is an additional fee for calling the cab.

-K.S. Taxi (K.S택시)☎ 82-53-761-8091 (☎ 053-762-0762)

According to their website, K.S. Taxi is
the first company using the special TRS program in Korea. They keep customers
happy, according to the site they don't suddenly start, suddenly stop, or go
over the speed limit. KS drivers are first aid certified.You can also make
reservations, borrow an umbrella during rainy days and get a refund if the
driver isn't friendly.They also have mini vans available. http://www.kstaxi.co.kr

-Sinjin OK Call Taxi (신진오케이콜택시)☎ 82-53-985-0005

-Unbulryeon
Call Taxi (운불련 콜택시)☎ 82-53-766-7777

Brand Taxi (Hanmaeum Call Taxi 한마음 콜택시)

These special taxis
with the orange strip on the side is the city’s solution to promoting taxi
usage. The special services includes the option to pay the fare in one of a
variety of ways (such as a credit card), get-home-safe services in which
customers are notified of the vehicle information, and the next available cars
is available usually within 5 minutes of where you are. The best part is that
there is no separate fees for calling. (Telephone ☎ : 82-53-424-1111)

Taxi Fares

●Regular Taxis

○Basic fare 2,800 won/2km

○Driving cost 100 won/144m

○Time fare 100 won/34 sec (in
case of less than the speed of 15km/h)

Additional
Surcharge

●Regular Taxis

○between midnight and 4 a.m.
(20% surcharge)

Some
Helpful Hints

●Tipping is neither customary,
nor expected.

●Some simple Korean goes a long
way. To ask the driver to take you to your destination, say the place and
follow it with “ka ju-se-yo” (~가 주세요), which loosely
translates to “go please”. So if you want to travel to Daegu Station, you would
say, “Daegu Yeok (station) Ka Chuseyo”.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

There will be full of glowing lights wherever we go and big beautiful Christmastrees are rigged up every here and there.

If you want to do up your house with a beautifully ornamented Christmastree to create a holiday mood not knowing where to buy the materials, note the following information~~~ :-)

①Chilseong Flower Market

There are several shops that sell trees of various sizes as well as all sorts of ornaments. Since the stores are located in a large flower market, you may meet the tall beautiful genuine birch trees there!!

[Art-Topi-A: The shop where sells the real birch trees]

Address: 528-4, Chilseongdong 2-ga, Buk-gu, Daegu

②Seomun Market

In Seomun market, which has almost everything you expect, they sell Christmas trees and ornaments as well. You can buy various sizes and types of trees in the range of 20,000won to 200,000won.

Take the pleasing scenes of the crowded market as your bonus~~~~ ^^

③The Modern House in Dong-a Department Store

The Modern House is popular to homemakers because of its fancy european-style products with a reasonable price. For Christmas holidays, they carry a variety of fancy items for Christmas party including Christmas trees and ornaments.

④Homeplus/E-mart

If you are tired or have no time for Christmas shopping, it will be the wisest choice to visit supermarkets like Homeplus or E-mart.

Especially, you can get the tree and ornaments at 20,000won or less during their promotion period.

We get more excited and happier in those days when we prepare for the holidays than the very day. Everybody enjoys the happy wait for the remaining one month until the Christmas day comes :-)

Monday, November 25, 2013

When Yeon-Kyung Kwon (CEO) and her sister, Yeon-Joo (sister) moved
back from Australia to Korea a few years back, they missed the cafe vibe they
felt there. Yeon-Joo had been a student while Yeon-Kyung studied the art of
detectable sandwiches and coffee. So, in 2006, they opened G'Day Cafe in
Manchon, where they started with only a couple of sandwiches and coffee
selections.

Yeon-Kyung found it impossible to find focaccia bread in Korea, so
she went to a baking school, became a certified chef, and started baking her
own focaccia bread. Before long, they outgrew the tiny cafe in Manchon where
they were renting and decided to buy an old house in Suseong-gu. They then
converted the small house, even at the discouragement of others, into what is
now the new G'Day. They turned the front yard into an outdoor patio so
customers could enjoy the fresh air!

Yeon-Kyung and Yeon-Joo's goal was to create an environment for
customers to go where they could feel cozy, comfortable, and maybe a little bit
like they're on vacation. They especially wanted to create a place where
everyone, including foreigners, could enjoy an all-day brunch that left aside
traditional Korean ingredients in order to create that feeling of being back in
Australia. The owners even cook meals for their employees while they're working
because they want the energy to be more like family than business. It seems
like they've just that, and that energy has extended to their customers as
well.

G'Day boasts an excellent menu including a Pesto Chicken sandwich,
Avocado-Cheese toast, and an all day brunch. The drink menu continues the
impressiveness with nine teas, various coffee drinks, juices, smoothies, and an
Aussie beer selection. Their main sandwich is the Focaccia Sandwich made on
homemade Focaccia bread complete with cheese, chicken, grilled vegetables, and
sun-dried tomatoes. One would be hard pressed to find its equal.

Daegu Art Museum seems to carry her previous popularity, which was gained from Kusama Yayoi exhibition, over to 'Animamix Biennale'. This upcoming exhibition, as the title might suggest, will show a world of animation and comics.

Though animations and comics are sometimes borrowed artistically, it is true that these two genres are situated not in the center but on the edge of modern art. This biennale is meaningful in that it tries to establish animation and comics firmly as one genre of the modern art.

Sun-hee, Kim, the director of Daegu Art Museum, said that the previous exhibition of Kusama Yayoi had been for an easy and amusing approach to the modern art for the public adding that the coming Animamix Biennale would also be wonderful enough to capture people's hearts.

The theme of this exhibition is 'A Drama Within'. The artists draw the stories within us through a special technique called animamixing. By drawing the communion of our latent aesthetic sense and imagination, they let us see the real images in ourselves as well as others. The exhibition comprises two sections; one for the animation and comics of modern art, and the other for short animation films.

[Animamix Biennale 2013-2014]

Date: Nov 23(Sat), 2013 - Feb 16(Sun), 2014

Venue: Exhibition room 1, Eomi Hall, Daegu Art Museum

Admission Fee

Age

Individual

Group(over 20 persons)

General

Adult(19~64)

2,000won

1,500won

Youth(13~18)

1,400won

1,000won

Kids(7~12)

1,000won

700won

Discount(50%)

Recipients of basic living, Family with more than 3 kids, Volunteers who work over 100 hours, Green card holders

Thursday, November 21, 2013

What do you think is the most widely grown agricultural product in Daegu?

Apples? Well... it used to be the representative product until the early 1990s, but due to the climate change and urbanization, unfortunately, there are only a few apple orchards left here in Daegu now. Realizing the fact, the city government has designated 'lotus root' as a representative local product upon mature consideration.

Then, why lotus root? It's because Banyawol in Daegu is the nation's largest lotus root producing area where the best quality ones are cultivated.

Is this produce somewhat unfamiliar to you? It's like radish or yacon full of healthy minerals and nutrients such as tannin, vitamin c, fiber etc.

By promoting lotus root extensively, the city government tries to develope it as one of the tourist attractions of Daegu by commercializing lotus root dining with the help of 10 local restaurants.

Among those, the restaurant 소담정 (Sodamjeong) is already famous for its temple fare that includes 떡갈비(Ddukgalbi: cut mince pie made of lotus root), 연근탕수(lotus root Tangsoo: minced and fried lotus root ball with sweet and sour sauce), lotus root jelly, green salad, steamed rice covered with a lotus leaf and many other side dishes.

The dishes they serve there had no strong taste in general making your stomach comfy. Further, the steamed rice covered with a huge lotus leaf gives you a joy of eating.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

There’s a little known secret in Daegu, one that surprised me when I
first arrived, and has shaped my experience since being here. I’m talking about
the vibrant Latin dancing scene that is alive and kicking here in our very own
city. About six years ago, Salsa for Foreigners began. It was an English-taught
class, with a foreigner-based clientele. Every Saturday night, mostly English
teachers would gather at Babalu (a dance studio in the heart of downtown), and
learn LA style and Cuban style Salsa.

Latin Flavor, the official name of the group, has had a variety of
parties over the years. They have involved themselves in fundraisers, and have
gone and supported the Korean salsa groups as well. The group has expanded over
the years, and since community has grown between the foreigner group and the
Korean salsa groups, you are bound to see Koreans join in on our parties. These
days, the popular form to learn is NY-style salsa, or “on 2” as they say. Don’t
let the lingo intimidate you, so many newcomers have come to the class not
knowing how to dance at all. With hard work, and a little courage, a beginner
can do really well. The interesting thing about us foreigners is our ability to
just go for it.

We will dance even with the extremely brilliant Korean dancers
who have practiced for years, and let them know, “Hey, I just started
learning”. Carpe diem, seize the day. If
you are already in Korea, why not do something else that’s out there. Try it
out, you may possibly fall in love with it. Salsa is dramatic, the beat racing
your heart and daring your feet to move faster than they should be physically
capable of doing. It is elegant and wild at the same time. It is intricately
complex and simple, it is closeness and measured space, it is harsh noises and
smooth melodies, it is contradiction in its raw and refined form.

Daegu City starts promoting its herbal medical tourism in full scale with active marketing using Chinese media.

Diverse aspects of life in Daegu, which owns the highest level of infrastructure for the herbal medicine industry in Korea, and Gyeongsangbuk-do, with an excellent cultural heritage, will be introduced to Chinese audiences through a television program in China. This event is expected to contribute to the further promotion in China of herbal medical tourism in Korea.

According to the Daegu Technopark, a crew from Guangzhou TV, which serves more than 100 million viewers living in the Guangdong area in China, visited Daegu and its vicinity for three days, from November 2 to 5, to film the advanced medical tourism infrastructure of the area for its travel program “Happy Travel.” Guangzhou TV will air the program in three series (six parts in each series) beginning in December this year.

Journalists from “TV & Life Weekly,” a national Chinese magazine with a weekly circulation of more than 480,000, joined the television crew on the tour for a special story on the “Hyu” herbal medical tourism project, which will be published in a December issue of the weekly.

The “Hyu” project is a herbal medical tourism project that connects the advanced herbal medicine of Suseong-gu, abundant recreational facilities in Dalseong-gun in Daegu and the rich cultural heritage of Cheongdo-gun in Gyeongsangbuk-do. The Daegu visit by Chinese media teams was realized after three-months of consultations between the “Hyu” Project Team and the related media. The media teams completed filming at 15 tourist attractions, including the Green Tea Research Institute in Suseong-gu, Mabijeong Wall Painting Village in Dalseong-gun and the Wine Tunnel in Cheongdo-gun.

The “Hyu” project had already been introduced to the Chinese by the popular “Kuaile Xing Tianxia (快樂行天下)” on Hangzhou TV and drew sensational responses from viewers. The program is a Chinese version of “Running Men” on SBS-TV in Korea and has over 100 episodes.

An official of the “Hyu” Project Team said, “The project combines medical tourism with experiential tourism. By integrating the strengths of several local governments, it is intended that their effects be maximized and a new model presented that creates added value for the local tourism industry. We will accelerate our efforts to attract foreign medical tourists through continuous marketing based on close cooperation between the related local governments.“

1Meanwhile, the “Hyu” herbal medical tourism project was selected as a model project of cooperation between local governments for this year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Regional Development Committee last March. With a budget of 4.1 billion won, including 3.5 billion won from the central government, the project will be implemented for three years from July this year. It is participated in by Suseong-gu and Dalseong-gun in Daegu, Cheongdo-gun in Gyeongsangbuk-do and the Daegu Technopark Herbal Medicine Industry Support Center.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Shabu Shabu is a food I hadn’t experienced until coming to Korea. It is Japanese in origin but can be experienced in quite a few Korean restaurants. My personal favorite is Shabu Hyeong in Duryu.

This hidden gem is on the main road of Duryu but set back from the pavement, allowing for cars to park below it. If you have a car an attendant will be happy to park it for you, which is a rare and nice touch.

When you enter the restaurant your first impression may be the beautiful décor. The small touches such as the foliage and fairy lights create a relaxed atmosphere and am inviting environment in which to enjoy your meal.

The restaurant is normally very full and it isn’t unusual to have a 45 minute wait on weekends so if you are planning to visit then a phone call to reserve a table may be needed. There is a waiting room for you to sit in but if you go on a week night you can normally be seated within five minutes if not sooner.

For those of you that aren’t accustom to Shabu Shabu it is a broth based dish with the ‘self- cooking’ aspect that is so appealing with Korean BBQ.
You can choose to have meat (such as duck, beef and pork), seafood or a combination of both and you may choose between a spicy broth base and a non spicy alternative. I am not a fan of overly spicy food so I stick with the un-spiced version.

The staff here are very attentive and very good at helping you if you are new to this process so don’t worry if you don’t have a clue what’s expected of you.

Basically you wait for the broth to heat up and add your chosen ingredients. The extensive salad provided, which includes cress, beetroot, onions, carrots, pineapple and lots more are great ingredients to fill your broth with and personalize your meal. Once you have added your vegetables you can start letting your meat and seafood cook. The think slices of meat turn brown extremely quickly so you can start feasting relatively soon.

The wraps provided represent had plastic discs before you wet them but after quickly dipping them in the water you will be able to fill them with your desired meat, salad and sauces before wrapping them up and popping them in your mouth.

The meal is sectioned into different course:
1st: cooking the meat and creating wraps
2nd: eating the broth that has grown in flavor with the ingredients you have added
3rd: Noodles are added once you have finished your meet to soak up the remaining broth
4th: Porridge rice is then added to soak up the final delicious dregs and to make sure you won’t move for an hour from being so full.

The meal is exciting and filled with different stages which make it a great place to go with friends. The first time I went I was confused and confounded as to what was expected of me. By the end (and with lots of help from my Korean friends) I was a convert.

Since my first experience I have visited a few different Shabu Shabu restaurants including an ‘all you can eat’ affair but the Duryu restaurant surpasses the rest. This is because of the attentive staff and lovely atmosphere as well as the tasty meat cuts and vast choices of side dishes to add to your meal. There is also the option of adding a BBQ ring to your meal to allow you to combine the Shabu shabu and Korean BBQ experience.

As the nights are getting darker quicker and the heating is starting to be turned on, this is the perfect winter comfort food and my new firm favorite discovery while I’ve been here in Korea.

Definitely worth a visit.

If you want to find 샤브 향 (Shabu Hyeong) you can take the subway to Duryu on the green line and leave from exit 6. Walking down the main road for about 40 meters, past the cinema and KFC it will be set back from the road and probably have a parking attendant helping people park their cars.458-49 Naedang 4(sa)-dong, Seo-gu, Daegu, South Korea ‎View Larger Map

To book a table you can call: 053-568-0011
Go up the stairs and you are ready to feast.

The restaurant does have tables and floor seating. You can request a table when you reserve but you can also book a room for larger groups that will have floor seating.